The Lebanon express. (Lebanon, Linn County, Or.) 1887-1898, 1887-04-30
A NATTER OF TASTE.
Strange Dishes That Are Eaten
by Different People.
Reptiles, Dog Meat, Bears Paws. Eie-
phants' Feet, Mooses' Noses aud Odd
Parts of other Animals for Gour-
mands to Revel Upon.

Nothing is more variable than ma
ti6nal diet. except it be national APP
petite. An Italian is content with
handful of bread and grapes. VIII lie an
Englishman can devour twenty pounds
IF flesh day, aud Tartar is men
toned by Captain Cochrane in his
travels who consumed in four-an /
twenty hours the hind quarter of a
large OK. three of the same tribe think
ing nothing of olsh!ng off a reindeer
at meal.
But even more varied than amount
is kind The New Brunsw ckers find a
special charm in the loose nose of the
moose deer. Sharks fins and fish
maws, unhatched ducks and chickens.
sea slugs and birds nests are all priced
by the omniverous Chinese. The
Paris ans eat horse-hesh; and in the
Exhibit on of 1851 NJ Brochchieri
showed and sold delicious cakes. pat
tes and bonbons of bullock's blood.
rivaling the famous marrons glaees
Of the coniiseries of the boule-
wards. This seems almost a tri-
umph of art. In Havana the shark is
openly sold in the market, and the
Chinese ascribe spec al invigorating
virtues TO its fins and tail. The
C@d Coast negroes are all fond
of sharks. as they are of hippo
poiami and alligators. and the Poly
nesians are also very fond of shark 8
liesh quite raw. Other people beside
the Gold Coast negroes feed on and
enisv reptiles We ourselves eat one
of the tribe when we consume calipash
and calipee. But though we revel in
turtle. we will have nothing to do with
the tortoise; yet half the soup eaten in
Italy and Sicily is made out of the land
tortoise. boiled down to its essence. In
some of the West India Islands land
tortoises are in much repute. The eggs
of the close tortoise Gesture clausa)
are held great delicacy in North
America, and Sir Walter Raleigh fed
\ his fainting men on ''tortuggas eggs
while sailing up the Orinoco.
In both North and South America
| the salt water terrapin is fat and lus-
cious luxury, aud its eggs are much
| priced. The hideous, scaly iguana
comes out better in the trial than its
outside promises; skillfully cooked il
resembles chicken in flesh and turtle
in flavor 1t is really excellent eating;
like chicken or rabbit when stewed or
curried; like turtle when dressed as
| turtle should be. and like hare when
turned into soup, its small soft -shelled
eggs being equal to itself in purity and
daintiness of flavor. Iadeed. the eggs
| of most reptiles are wonderfully appe-
tizing, but none more SO than those OF
the harmless. hideous, yet delicious
iguana. unless it be the eggs of the de-
| spised land tortoise. Caymans and
crocodiles. lizards and frogs are all
eaten and enjoyed by certain people.
The typical crocodile is like veal, but
some species have a strong flavor ol
musk. and some are like young.
Juicy pork. while others resemble
lobster. Others. again. have a
powerful fishy taste, very disagreea
bic. On the whole, therefore,
crocodile is uncertain eating. and
not to be ventured on with rashness
Alligator is supposed to be invigorating
and restorative, and Mt Manila is sold
at high prices, the Chinese clutching al
the dried skin. which they use in theil
awful messes of gelatinous soup. Ali
gator is likened to sucking pig. but it,
eggs have n musty flavor.
The French are notoriously addicted
to frogs. which command a high price
in New York also, whore they sell tn,
large bullfrog. sometimes weighing hal
pound. as we'll as the tender littlt
green animal (rana esculenta). whos'
hind legs taste so like delicate CHECKER
when served with white sauce in res
taurants and hotels of Paris and Vienna
OF course frogs do not escape tn,
Chinese, who devour every thing witt
blood and fiber; and the negroes o
>urinam eat the loathsome Surinan
toad. Monkeys are also considere
good eating in some countries. African
epicures are never more charmed tina,
when they can dine of a highl
seasoned. tender young monkey, bake
gypsy fashion in the earth. The grea
red monkey. the black spider monke
and the bowling monkey are all cate
by the various peoples among whor
they are found. The flesh of the monke
is sa d to be both nutritious and pleas
1 ant One species of bat is considere
good eating by the natives of th
Islands ofthe Indian Archipelago, Nal;
: bar, etc. /; it is called by naturalists tn
edible bat, and is said to be white, ter
der and delicate; but, for all that, it
: a hideous beast, like weasel, with
ten-inch body. covered with close an
shining black hair, and with four fe,
wings, when stretched to their full g.
tent.
Iu some countries even the fox is col
sidered delicacy; in the Arctic region